[Federal Register: February 13, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 29)]
[Notices]
[Page 6710-6712]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr13fe07-15]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. FSIS-2007-0002]
Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on
Contaminants in Foods
AGENCY: Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, are sponsoring a
public meeting on March 8, 2007. The objective of the public meeting is
to provide information and receive public comments on agenda items and
draft United States positions that will be discussed at the First
Session of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods (CCCF) of the
Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), which will be held in Beijing,
China, on April 16-20, 2007. The Under Secretary for Food Safety and
FDA recognize the importance of providing interested parties the
opportunity to obtain background information on the 1st Session of CCCF
and to address items on the agenda.
DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 8, 2007 from
1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in the auditorium (Room
1A003), Harvey W. Wiley Federal Building, FDA, Center for Food Safety
and Applied Nutrition, 5100 Paint Branch Highway, College Park MD
20740. Documents related to the 1st Session of CCCF will be accessible
via the World Wide Web at the following address:
[[Page 6711]]
http://www.codexalimentarius.net/current.asp.
The U.S. Delegate to the CCCF, Dr. Nega Beru, invites U.S.
interested parties to submit their comments electronically to the
following e-mail address: nega.beru@fda.hhs.gov.
Registration: You may also register electronically to the same e-
mail address above. Early registration is encouraged because it will
expedite entry into the building and its parking area. If you require
parking, please include the vehicle make and tag number, if known, when
you register. Because the meeting will be held in a Federal building,
you should also bring a photo identification (ID) and plan for adequate
time to pass through security screening systems.
For Further Information About The 1st Session Of The CCCF Contact: Nega
Beru, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, FDA, 5100 Paint
Branch Pkwy., College Park, MD 20740, 301-436-1731, e-mail:
nega.beru@fda.hhs.gov.
For Further Information About The Public Meeting Contact: Ellen Matten,
International Issues Analyst, U.S. Codex Office, Food Safety and
Inspection Service , Room 4861, South building, 1400 Independence Ave
SW., Washington, DC 20250. Phone (202) 205-7760, Fax: (202) 720-3157.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Codex Alimentarius (Codex) was established in 1963 by two
United Nations organizations, the Food and Agriculture Organization and
the World Health Organization. Through adoption of food standards,
codes of practice, and other guidelines developed by its committees,
and by promoting their adoption and implementation by governments,
Codex seeks to protect the health of consumers and ensure that fair
practices are used in trade.
The Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods was established by the
Codex Alimentarius Commission in 2006 when the Codex Committee on Food
Additives and Contaminants was split. It was established to set or
endorse permitted maximum levels or guideline levels for contaminants
and naturally occurring toxicants in food and feed; to prepare priority
lists of contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants for risk
assessment by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives; to
consider methods of analysis and sampling for the determination of
contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants in food and feed; to
consider and elaborate standards or codes of practice for related
subjects; and to consider other matters assigned to it by the
Commission in relation to contaminants and naturally occurring
toxicants in food and feed. The Committee is hosted by the Netherlands.
Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting
The following items on the Agenda for the 1st Session of the CCCF
will be discussed during the public meeting:
Matters Referred to the Committee from other Codex bodies.
Matters of Interest arising from FAO/WHO.
Endorsement/Revision of Maximum Levels for Contaminants in
Codex Standards.
Consideration of the Codex General Standard for
Contaminants and Toxins in Foods.
Proposed Draft Levels for Total Aflatoxins in Almonds,
Hazelnuts and Pistachios ``for further processing'' and ``ready-to-
eat''.
Proposed draft Sampling Plan for Aflatoxin contamination
in Almonds, Brazil nuts, Hazelnuts and Pistachios.
Discussion paper on Maximum Levels in ``ready-to-eat''
almonds, hazelnuts and pistachios.
Discussion paper on Aflatoxin contamination in Brazil
nuts.
Discussion paper on Deoxynivalenol (DON).
Proposed Draft Code of Practice for the Prevention and
Control of Ochratoxin A Contamination in Wine.
Discussion paper on Ochratoxin A in Coffee.
Discussion paper on Ochratoxin A in Cocoa.
Discussion paper on Aflatoxins in dried figs.
Proposed draft Maximum Levels for Tin in Canned Foods
(other than beverages) and in Canned Beverages.
Proposed draft Maximum Level for 3-MCPD in Liquid
Condiments containing acid-HVP (excluding naturally fermented soya
sauce).
Proposed draft Code of Practice for the Reduction of
Chloropropanols during the Production of acid-Hydrolysed Vegetable
Proteins (HVPs) and Products that contain acid-HVPs.
Proposed Draft Code of Practice for the Reduction of
Acrylamide in Food.
Proposed Draft Code of Practice for the Reduction of
Contamination of foods with PAH from Smoking and Direct Drying.
Priority List of Contaminants and Naturally Occurring
Toxicants Proposed for Evaluation by JECFA.
Each issue listed will be fully described in documents distributed,
or to be distributed, by the Secretariat prior to the Meeting. Members
of the public may access or request copies of these documents (see For
Further Information About The 1st Session Of The Cccf Contact).
Public Meeting
At the March 8, 2007 public meeting, draft U.S. positions on the
agenda items will be described and discussed, and attendees will have
the opportunity to pose questions and offer comments. Written comments
may be offered at the meeting or sent to the U.S. Delegate for CCCF,
Dr. Nega Beru (see ADDRESSES). Written comments should state that they
relate to activities of the 1st Session of CCCF.
Additional Public Notification
Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy
development is important. Consequently, in an effort to ensure that
minorities, women, and persons with disabilities are aware of this
notice, FSIS will announce it on-line through the FSIS Web page located
at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations/2007_Notices_Index/. FSIS
also will make copies of this Federal Register publication available
through the FSIS Constituent Update, which is used to provide
information regarding FSIS policies, procedures, regulations, Federal
Register notices, FSIS public meetings, recalls, and other types of
information that could affect or would be of interest to constituents
and stakeholders. The update is communicated via Listserv, a free
electronic mail subscription service for industry, trade and farm
groups, consumer interest groups, allied health professionals, and
other individuals who have asked to be included. The update is
available on the FSIS Web page. Through the Listserv and Web page, FSIS
is able to provide information to a much broader and more diverse
audience. In addition, FSIS offers an e-mail subscription service which
provides automatic and customized access to selected food safety news
and information. This service is available at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/news_and_events/email_subscription/.
Options range from recalls to
export information to regulations, directives and notices. Customers
can add or delete subscriptions themselves and have the option to
password protect their account.
[[Page 6712]]
Done at Washington, DC, on February 8, 2007.
F. Edward Scarbrough,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. E7-2438 Filed 2-12-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P